Welcome back. I, and my colleagues, hope you enjoyed the article on nontraditional avenues of pharmacy practice in the January-February issue of Student Pharmacist. Now, as promised, we have some advice for you about exploring your interests and the profession. 

You are an individual
I have done my due diligence when it comes to really thinking about what makes me happy, regardless of the time, money, or perception of my classmates and peers. That said, just as every patient is different, every pharmacist and student pharmacist is an individual. Some practice settings may be perfect for one individual and awful for the next.  Some may love the economics behind pharmacy, others association management, while others prefer clinical practice. 

As I left off before the holidays, I had just wrapped up my last pharmaceutical industry fellowship program interviews at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exposition. A silent cloud fell over the life of “Ami” as employers regrouped to discuss the next steps for their candidates. I was walking along Santa Monica pier when I received my fourth and final onsite interview offer. Who? Me? Are you sure? I was astonished that different groups and partner companies were willing to give me the opportunity to meet their teams onsite and interview with them. This was an incredibly humbling moment to realize that my hard work and dedication over the past 5 and half years were coming to fruition.

Hi Ami! It sounds like you have had an exciting and meaningful experience at Midyear and throughout the interview process. My number one piece of advice to mentees as they go through it is “trust the process,” whether it be the Match, fellowships, or landing your first job as a pharmacist. 

This can be a stressful time, with a lot of unknowns. There is no right or wrong answer for what you choose as your next step. Everyone ends up at a site that provides an important learning experience and valuable training as a part of a long and impactful career. 

When the subject of pharmacy history comes up in conversation, my first impulse is always to open up APhA Historian George Griffenhagen’s fantastic book 150 Years of Caring: A Pictorial History of the American Pharmaceutical Association. When I flip through the pages, I marvel at how far the profession and APhA have come over the years. Then I focus on my favorite part, which is the section on APhA publications.

It is interesting to read about the name changes of APhA publications over the years, including that of your student magazine, with titles suchs as SAPhA News, The Pharmacy Student, Pharmacy Student, and now the current, Student Pharmacist. Reading George’s book again recently also made me realize I am the longest-running editor of APhA’s student publication, a career milestone of which I am most proud. This special 50th anniversary issue is sure to be another source of pride, and your APhA Student & New Practitioner Development knows you will enjoy every page of this APhA–ASP retrospective.

It was different times for pharmacists and pharmacy in the 1960s; the name of the medication rarely appeared on the prescription container label unless specifically requested by the prescriber, and pharmacists were not to discuss therapy with patients, deflecting all such questions back to the physician. Patient-centered thinking was just beginning to be adopted by the profession and incorporated into the education and training of pharmacists. It was not until later that the profession embraced, thru adoption of the Code of Ethics for Pharmacists, a statement that the goal of the profession was to assist patients with getting the best outcomes from their therapy.

Also during this era, the role and potential contributions of student pharmacists to APhA and the profession was gaining momentum.